


Midnight Machines (Rewritten)

by Baellona



Series: Lights [2]
Category: Shingeki no Kyojin | Attack on Titan
Genre: Blood and Gore, Blood and Injury, Creepy Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Eventual Fluff, Eventual Happy Ending, Eventual Relationships, Eventual Romance, Eventual Sex, Eventual Smut, Explicit Language, Explicit Sexual Content, F/M, Fluff, Fluff and Angst, Fluff and Smut, Gore, Inspired by Music, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) Swears, Levi and Cleaning (Shingeki no Kyojin), NSFW, Other Additional Tags to Be Added, POV Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Pining Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin), Reader-Insert, Reader-Interactive, Resolved Sexual Tension, Sexual Content, Sexual Fantasy, Sexual Tension, Smut, Titans, breakup with shitty boyfriend, glad to be rid of him tbh, i'm keeping the funny tags, i'm not kidding this guy's an ass, you and levi clearly wanna piece of each other so just get to it already damn, you are levi are gonna smash
Language: English
Status: In-Progress
Published: 2020-08-14
Updated: 2020-08-28
Packaged: 2021-03-05 21:54:22
Rating: Explicit
Warnings: Creator Chose Not To Use Archive Warnings, Graphic Depictions Of Violence, No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 2
Words: 7,602
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/25902406
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baellona/pseuds/Baellona
Summary: Two years after the gates of Maria were destroyed, you're a trainee soldier in the cadet corps. The tragedy caused you to lose yourself and become cold and antisocial - sounds familiar. You've just broken up with your lazy ass of a boyfriend, even though you know how unusual it is to even have a boyfriend in this world, and the liberty of being single hits you in the form of loudly singing during your afternoon shower. Little do you know, a certain enamoured Captain is outside listening.Lots of graphic sexual content for you lovely perverts ;)This is a rewritten version of this fic that I wrote 2 years ago:https://archiveofourown.org/works/15163814/chapters/35165129
Relationships: Levi & Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin) & Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Original Female Character(s), Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/Reader, Levi (Shingeki no Kyojin)/You, Levi/Reader
Series: Lights [2]
Series URL: https://archiveofourown.org/series/1379206
Comments: 8
Kudos: 70





	1. Same Sea (NSFW)

**Author's Note:**

  * Inspired by [Midnight Machines](https://archiveofourown.org/works/15163814) by [Baellona](https://archiveofourown.org/users/Baellona/pseuds/Baellona). 



> Hi everyone. Guess who!
> 
> That's right, IT'S ME. I feel so bad for dropping that Little Machines fic last summer and then fucking off LMAO sorry
> 
> Loads of stuff happened, basically though I kinda just lost my passion for writing for a while. Idk when it happened. The good news is though, I started reading my old fic a few days ago because I really really wanted to get back into this and finish Little Machines for everyone who was interested. Idk though, the original version of this was really bad. I cringed so much reading it!! So I decided to rewrite it. I made the reader character a bit less of a Mary Sue and fixed a couple of inconsistencies. If you guys don't like it as much as the old one then please let me know. Also I'm begging y'all to motivate me into finishing this LOL I work full time now in IT Support. I wrote this today while I was working! We're working from home because of Covid so I have a lot of free time. Don't tell anyone.
> 
> Anyway, sorry for rambling again. I missed feeling like this. I hope I don't lose my motivation again.
> 
> Enjoy!

Everything was the same. Everything looked the same. Everything smelled the same. From the rows of minimalistic bunks lining the walls of the room, to the metal trunks filled with personal belongings at the foot of each bed. It was all identical, and that was fine. The late afternoon sun shone softly through the open windows. Beams of golden-orange light coated the surfaces thickly, illuminating the dust particles floating around the open air. It was a peaceful scene, despite the room being void of detail; set in its rigidity. 

Footsteps disturbed the serenity.

Their owner was walking quickly. The heavy metal door swung open and closed on its hinges with a little more force than would normally be applied. A young woman entered the room and leaned carefully against the frame from the inside.

…

Your sigh was deep and tired, but quiet enough to remain undetected had there been another person in the room with you. If you were being honest to yourself, you _were_ tired. How could one person be so oblivious? So selfishly ignorant that no matter how many times you told him your frustrations, he ignored them more than beggars on the street? He was childish and cruel, but mostly just annoying. It was a shame, he had been so sweet at the beginning. Had it really been two years?

You remembered those early days. Fresh-faced and ready, even though you were caught in the claws of PTSD. Horrified and damaged, but optimistic just the same. There was hope, and you believed in that. Even if you didn’t let others see it. But it had faded over time, and all that was left was exhaustion. Fear. Anger. It was over now. You had known that for a while. He used to hold your hand in secret and tell you you were beautiful, but sweet compliments turned into jokes at your expense turned into insults. Yep, it was definitely over. You were done. There was no sense dwelling on it anymore. Your two years in the military had trained your mind enough to expel him from your thoughts almost entirely.

So there you stood, alone in your room, arms folded at your chest. There was sadness in your heart, but relief and joy were the more dominant emotions here. Finally, you could focus on yourself, on your training, on your promise to defeat the titans. You were going to be the best soldier you could be. This was just the beginning. 

Pretty soon, the peace and quiet of the afternoon would give way to the boisterous clatter of the youngest cadets back from their day’s classes. Dinner was not far away, but still far enough for you to indulge yourself in your rest for a little while. There was always a pot of herbal tea in the dining area at around this time. If today wasn’t a perfect day to take advantage of the soothing aroma of chamomile, then no day would ever measure up. 

You’d never been able to find out where it came from. Every single time you had tried, sneaking into the room a little earlier than normal, the owner of the pot was gone before you could get there. It felt weird, like they knew your location at all times. It’s not like you would have spoken to them anyway, but you shared so little in common with the younger members of the cadets that it would have been nice to know another person who shared your love of something as trivial as tea.

Today was no different: the tea was there, obviously, but there wasn’t a soul in sight. Curiously though, it seemed that whoever had made it this time had been expecting you. Instead of the pot left by itself on the side, there was now a cup. This gesture unsettled you a little, unsurprisingly, but you were grateful for it all the same. The drink was hot enough to scald; somehow you had missed the mysterious tea fan by only moments. Any other day, you would have dwelled on it more. Not today. 

You took your hot beverage out into the sunshine with you, enjoying the gentle breeze rustling through your hair as you walked towards the forest. Your back resting against the tallest tree you could find, you slid yourself down until your ass hit the ground with a thump. There was enough cushion there to ease the landing, but it still hurt a little. You made yourself comfortable before leaning back and closing your eyes. 

To dream of greater things is the most human thing. We naturally want to excel, to improve. Some want to show off their skills and claim admiration from the masses for doing slightly above the bare minimum, but you were the former. There was never a time to be arrogant or complacent. Not in this world. You applied the same logic to every aspect of your life, from your relationships to your own personal goals. All you wanted was to save people. Two years ago, the Shiganshina incident changed you forever. 

You were 20 years old. Your life had just started. What was the plan? You had no idea. You were too clever to work the fields, but what else was there? You were comfortable, secure. Never in a million years would you have predicted the fall of Wall Maria. You saw the wanton destruction these giants caused. You watched your own mother die, her frail body ripped apart right in front of your own horrified eyes. She was your best friend, your role model. Who could you turn to without her? There was nothing left. All you could do was stare. Try as you did, your legs couldn’t be compelled to move, to run for your life. You would have been next had it not been for one very brave member of the Garrison. It was like a lightning flash in your head. You were a tall tree, swinging madly in the rain, when all of a sudden you were struck. Your bark, burned to a crisp. Your body, lifeless and black. 

You joined the cadet corps the very next morning.

So here you were. Eyes blinking at the change in light levels. Sitting alone under a tree with a cup of cold tea. You downed it in one breath as the bell rang for dinner. Making your way over to the mess hall, you tried to look more like a human being than you felt. You didn’t think it had worked though. People still avoided looking your way and you sat alone in the corner as usual. Your bowl of stew, lump of bread and murky glass of water looked particularly unappealing tonight. 

You forced the tasteless mush down your throat. It was high in protein and calories, this being necessary for soldiers, but all the flavour had been boiled away in an effort to preserve its longevity - stop the decay. The only reason you didn’t throw it away was because it was vital to keep your strength up. That and the fact that you were grateful for having anything to eat at all. So many had to go without that no matter how unappetising your dinner was, you would never turn it down. At least you weren’t ever really hungry.

It was kind of a miserable existence though, but you welcomed it. Survivor’s guilt consumed your every waking moment. Your beautiful mother had deserved to live so much more than you believed you did. The pain never quite went away, no matter how many distractions your life was filled with. You had never gotten close to anyone. You rarely spoke. Your body language gave off the impression that you were cold and unapproachable, but the truth was that inside you longed for a friend. At least someone to understand your grief. But it was too risky. What if they were killed and you were left shattered and broken again? It was more than you could take. No, solitude was best. Nobody had ever tried to get to know you and you were okay with that. The less people that enter… The less that can leave.

You finished your dinner as quickly as possible, wanting to take a shower before anyone else had the chance to. As cadets, everybody had seen each other naked before. But that didn’t mean that you enjoyed displaying your parts to everyone else. As such, in the two years that you had been living on the base, you’d learned how to utilise your time most efficiently. Showering while everyone was eating was the most optimal time: there was the greatest chance that nobody would be there to disturb your solitude. 

You headed towards the shower building. Today had been horrible. You just wanted to watch it drip away down the drain and let the soothing citrus scents of your soaps relax your brain, ready for another day of training tomorrow. You had one year left, one year until you were able to join the Survey Corps under Captain Levi. Then, you would work tirelessly to rid the world of the titans that threatened humanity’s existence. It was enough for you to hold onto that dream, even despite the disgusting food and the loneliness. It was all fine, as long as you kept your eyes on the prize.

The shower room was as grimy as ever. Layers of slime and mud clung to the walls and the tiles of the floor. Sometimes you felt like you came out of here dirtier than when you went in. At least the water was hot. It was always refreshing to take a shower. The stress of the day just melted off, like when you pour hot water over a greasy frying pan. It felt therapeutic to rinse your sadness away like that, so much so that your eyes brimmed with tears as the emotions escaped you. Crying is the body’s way of releasing pressure when it gets too high. You’d hit that peak a long time ago, but had never felt comfortable enough to cry unless you were truly alone and totally out of sight of anyone else. 

It felt so freeing to be able to release the emotions you had kept inside yourself for so long. You weren’t even really sure what exactly had overwhelmed you. You supposed it was a combination of everything that had transpired throughout the day, as well as the memories of your mother that had been dragged up to the surface. Her voice had been so soft, so melodic. When you were sick, she used to sing you to sleep. There was one particular song that she sang every time. You knew it so well that your mouth was open and sounds were coming out without you even realising it. All you knew was the tingling sensation in your scalp from your orange and mint-infused shampoo.

Outside in the corridor, a pair of short, powerful legs were standing frozen. Transfixed by the beautiful voice coming from inside the washroom, the man attached was listening intently. He had never heard such a heavenly sound before. Such sweet singing, such a soft serenade to mask the ache in his chest. He couldn’t stop himself from leaning against the wall so he could listen for a little while. 

He felt at peace, for the first time in a long time. The nightmare outside the walls was a distant memory. All he could think about was that he had to know who that pair of lungs belonged to. Would he be able to rest better at night if whoever was in there sang him to sleep in the darkness? What a silly, inappropriate thought. But he couldn’t help letting his mind wander into unexplored areas. 

Who could it be? Nobody’s face came to mind. Usually he was a pretty good judge of character but he was completely stumped on this one. He tried to deny the urge, but he needed to find out who you were. Nothing on earth had moved him quite as much, at least not for a very long time. Singing was something people usually did in groups. Members of the Garrison on boring days would sing songs raucously over tankard after tankard of ale, nothing else existing to ease the dull, monotonous life of a soldier inside the walls… But this was different. There was an almost ethereal quality to your song. Like a siren, you were pulling him in without even realising he was out there listening. 

Your voice climbed higher. The calming melody performed with breathy falsettos floored the tiny captain, quite literally. He slumped to the floor quietly, but not before taking a quick look around to make sure nobody would see him there outside the trainee’s shower room. Creepy Levi isn’t a good look. 

_“And when the currents take us out again, to opposite oceans, out of the hands of safety_

_From the shallows to the deepest end, places we break and bend, you’re the one in it with me_

_No matter how far we get, oceans we are in still connect_

_And when the currents circle back again, they’ll carry us with them, to the arms of the same sea”_

Levi closed his eyes and leaned his head back against the wall, one leg folded with his wrist resting on his knee, the other spread out across the gritty floor. His face was so much less tense than it usually looked, so much more relaxed. Who were you? Who was this mysterious woman singing a lullaby that seemed to be just for him? He didn’t believe in love at first sight (he hadn’t even seen you yet), but this was as close to it as he was likely to get. 

After another few moments, the divine smell of your shampoo began to drift out of the door towards him. It was such a sweet smell, combined with such a sweet sound. It was then that he decided that he would lose his mind if he didn’t take a tiny peek inside the washroom to see who was in there. As hard as it is to believe, his actions weren’t driven by sexual desire (yet). Levi was just an awkward fuck and he knew that he’d never be able to strike up a conversation with you if he waited outside until you were done, knowing he’d heard what he’d heard. To him you were a goddess, while he was a creature from the swamp. He cursed his terrible communication skills. 

Levi was praying to the powers that be that your back was facing the door. He couldn’t imagine what he would do if he had inched his way into the room and your eyes had been open, watching him as he entered. You might have screamed. He didn’t want to deal with that. As stealthily as he could manage, the captain leaned around the open door. He was in luck. He immediately noticed that you were in fact facing away from him. Breathing a silent sigh of relief, he crept further into the washroom with the aim of getting a closer look. 

It was steamier inside than it had been in the corridor. The scents were a lot more potent too. No matter how tough Humanity’s Strongest Soldier was, he was still a man. Those delicious fragrances were his weakness. It almost made him want to walk up to you and wash you himself. Strong, calloused hands gliding over your soft, milky skin. Squeezing your firm breasts. Finding their way to your hair where his fingers tangled themselves so he could pull your body close to him and kiss you roughly. But that would stop your singing. Levi had to snap himself out of his daydreams quickly before the blood started to pool in his groin.

As you turned your head to the side, your identity was finally revealed to the Captain, who was flushed from the heat and the naked woman’s body standing before him. So it was you. He was relieved for multiple reasons. The first being that you were one of the few trainees who was actually of age. He shuddered at the thought of potentially walking in on an underage cadet, but deep down he knew that it couldn’t have been anyone younger than adult aged. Your voice was too mature and well-controlled to have belonged to a child. 

The second reason for Levi’s relief was that across the entire base, the only other person to share his tea with him every day was you. 

As a Captain of the Survey Corps, Levi managed the Special Operations ‘Levi Squad’ within the Scouts: a group of hand-picked soldiers with exceptional skills. His team was responsible for the success of so many missions that Commander Erwin had asked Levi to supervise the cadet camp in secret. If any cadets showed exceptional promise, Levi was to keep an eye on them and convince the commanders that they be encouraged to join up with the Survey Corps, where they would undertake explicit training under the wings of the Captain himself. 

Levi had noticed you the day he arrived on his assignment. Your strength was unparalleled compared to the rest of your class. You needed some fine tuning, but there was already an open spot for you on his Squad. He wanted to tell you. He just didn’t know how. So he had started watching you from out of sight. Not creepily, in a spying sort of way. He left you with your privacy out of training hours. He did notice, however, that you would pour yourself a cup of the tea he would make for himself every day. In light of this, he always made sure to make enough for you. 

Today was… different. He watched you from the mess hall as he prepared the tea. You were leaning against a tree, your usually emotionless face had been pushed aside for the time being, openly displaying your hurt and sadness. He had never seen you looking so unhappy before and it moved him. Usually, he never wanted you to see him pouring the tea because you weren’t supposed to know he was there. Without thinking, he left a cup for you. 

Levi’s loneliness was always nagging at him, but although he’d never spoken to you, in you he found a friend. A kindred spirit with the same grief, the same fears and ambitions. He read it on your face. Nobody else paid enough attention to know how you were truly feeling. You wore a mask all the time, never took it off unless you were alone. The Captain felt guilty that he had intruded on your reflection earlier, which was another reason he left the cup out for you. 

Your naked body was on full display to where Levi was standing behind you. He couldn’t tear his eyes away if his life depended on it. He knew he was being creepy and disgusting, he knew he should leave you alone. But before he knew it, Levi’s eyes had travelled down your back to rest upon your bare ass. It was firm and round, and he found himself almost desperate to squeeze it. Your long, muscular legs were slightly apart, causing his pupils to dilate at the view. This increased tenfold when you unknowingly bent down at the waist to retrieve a bottle of body wash at your feet. The way your cheeks were spread revealing your exposed pussy made Levi’s mouth dry out instantly. There was no way he could stop the bulge forming in his tight pants now. He knew he had to leave.

But he couldn’t move. He couldn’t stop watching. You squeezed the lotion onto your palm and rubbed your hands together, creating a lather before slowly rubbing yourself all over with the foam. Your hands explored all your curves. It was enough to make the Captain salivate. He thought he would never see anything more arousing… But then you dipped your hands in between your legs to wash yourself. You stayed a little longer than necessary too, enjoying the feeling of your slippery fingers rubbing against your most sensitive parts. Involuntarily, you let out a little moan - more of a hum than anything else. But it was too much for poor Levi. He screwed his eyes shut.

“Fuck.”

One single word. Not loud enough for you to hear over the sound of the gushing water or your own voice, but definitely enough for Levi to regain his power over his legs. The tent in his trousers was the biggest it had ever been. He desperately needed to unzip and pull himself out, relieve the pressure somewhat. Maybe he would do it right here, while he could still see the naked body of the goddess standing in front of him… No. That’s enough. He would leave now.

Turning quickly on his heels, the extremely sexually frustrated Captain darted from the room and off across the training grounds. He would have to hope he wouldn’t see anybody on the way back to his sleeping quarters. This was something he needed to take care of right away. The pain in his cock was very distracting. It was large and heavy. He could feel the heat of it as he ran, longing to collapse onto his bed and stroke himself, eyes closed and fixated only on the memory of your hands slowly teasing your wet folds. Soon.

Back in the shower room, the sound of boots on tiles silenced you instantly, like someone had stolen all the air from your lungs. You spun around to see the legs of someone disappearing out of the door and grabbed your towel to cover yourself. If someone had heard you… Well. You couldn’t really think of anything worse.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Thanks for reading!
> 
> The song that Reader-chan is singing in the shower is called Same Sea. Here is a link:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=1uFnt8wlsYo
> 
> But I'm sure you all know this already. Maybe you're thinking that I shouldn't bother rewriting this and just finish Little Machines. Maybe I will guys... Maybe I will.
> 
> ;)


	2. Meteorites (NSFW)

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> You're both battling internally with the aftermath of the shower incident. Levi wants your ass tbh

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> This is pretty horny ngl. Enjoy!

Levi’s breath was shaky from the exertion of walking quickly. Standing outside the door of his bedroom, he fumbled in his pockets for his keys. The feeling of his hand brushing against the hard cock confined to his trousers made him clench his jaw tightly, close his eyes and take a sharp breath through his nose. He was afraid he was going to explode. That would be a nice mess to clean up…

Yanking the door open and hastily locking it behind him, the Captain made sure all the windows and curtains were tightly closed. There was no way he was going to allow anyone the opportunity to see inside or disturb him. This was his private time. He breathed a sigh of impatience as he made his way over to his bed and sank slowly onto the firm mattress. The erection in his trousers was still just as big as it had been when he’d run out of the washroom, stretching the cloth surrounding it uncomfortably. Hands slightly shaking, Levi unzipped his fly and pulled them down, freeing his dick from its prison. The relief was almost instantaneous as his bare skin came into contact with the cool air, and Levi noticed little beads of precum forming at the tip. 

The Captain was not a masochist by any means, but he couldn’t help but enjoy the feeling of being teased until he was about to burst. He was the most aroused he had been in a long time, possibly ever, and he wanted the feeling to last. Lying back onto the bed with his legs slightly apart, he slowly began to rub delicate little circles against the skin of his inner thighs. It was nowhere near enough to satisfy his desire, but it was close enough to where he really needed it that he felt his dick twitch and dribble another little squirt of sticky fluid. 

Closing his eyes, Levi allowed his mind to wander back into the shower room and your beautiful body. He continued the slow, teasing circles on his thighs, inching closer to his balls every few moments. He imagined you in front of him, naked, but facing towards him this time. Giving him a private show. Dropping your hip as your hands gently caressed your bare skin. You lifted your hand up towards your face, looking him straight in the eye. Slowly inserting a finger into your mouth, sucking the digit with exaggerated allure and bringing it down to your erect nipples, teasing them. Playing with them. Levi let out a small groan, tensing his fingers to keep from grabbing hold of his cock and tugging like his life depended on it. 

His hands moved closer inwards, fingertips grazing ever so gently against his balls and the underside of his shaft. The Captain gritted his teeth to prevent himself from cumming at the sensation. He wanted to have you, not to jerk off into his palm alone again. The thought momentarily depressed him a little, until his horny brain switched on the image of you in shower again. Wet and soapy. 

“Mmmm, [F/N].”

Levi moaned your name into the empty room. His dick leaked yet more precum, the head glowing bright red and hot. He was impossibly hard. He could almost feel you straddling his naked hips, rubbing your soaked pussy against him. Your eyes rolled back into your skull and you moaned loudly as the tip of his cock caught on your clit. His hands grasped your waist and pulled you down onto him further, grinding against your soaked slit. It felt so real. Before he knew it, Levi had involuntarily laid a hand against his dick and was thrusting his hips against it, desperate to feel some kind or relief from the frustration building. 

He decided that it was time to progress to the next step. He slowly wrapped his fist around his hardness and gave himself a light stroke, almost choking at the feeling. He knew that even at this tortuous pace and pressure, he would lose it in no time at all. Your body was the most perfect he had ever seen in his 30+ years of life. Your skin was so clear, so smooth and flawless. Your hair was shiny and soft, framing your sweet face in the most adorable way. Your lips were fantastic. Levi imagined them now, wrapped tight around him. Your eyes closed, moaning at the feeling of him reaching the back of your throat. 

It was too much.

In seconds, thick, white ribbons squirted out of the top of Levi’s abused cock. He gasped loudly, squeezing the head and stroking his balls for maximum sensation. He thought of your face coated in his fluids and it was sexy as hell. He wished he could see it for real some day, but no matter how strong on the battlefield he was, Levi was really just an awkward fuck at the very heart of it all. 

… 

On the other side of the base, tucked away behind some storage sheds and close enough to the stables that you could smell the horse shit in the air, the female barracks lay empty except for one soldier. You were sitting on your bed in the corner of the room frowning to yourself, legs folded up to your chest, arms hugging your knees to keep them in place. After your shower had been invaded, there was no sense of security anymore. Someone had purposely stood behind you and listened to you singing. It wasn’t so much the fact that they’d seen you naked that bothered you - everyone had at this point since all the cadets showered together. It was just the fact that nobody knew you liked to sing, or even that you could, and you wanted to keep it that way. 

Considering nobody was too close to you in age, there was a big difference in maturity between you and 90% of the rest of the cadets. That coupled with the fact that you were grief-stricken, you just didn’t feel like you could interact with anyone beyond what was required of you. You were kind, but nobody knew that. You were brave, but nobody knew that. You briefly wondered if this new development of interest would change anything for you. It was a hopeful, but scary thought. What if people started expecting things from you? Things like friendship? Your heart started to race at the thought. No. Absolutely not. Tears began to prick at your eyelids.

“I’m so sorry I let you down, Mama,” you sobbed into your hands. Why couldn’t you just be normal? 

The scuffling sound of footsteps closed in on your vicinity. You had a few seconds before whoever it was entered the barracks, so you quickly sniffled and wiped the moisture from your face, hiding the evidence as best you could. The intruder was young. Probably a new recruit. She was a little shorter than you, sleek black hair and steel-grey, almost silver eyes. Said eyes widened slightly when she noticed you. 

“Oh, I’m sorry. I didn’t know there was anyone else in here,” her voice was soft and low, but kind, and there was a haunted quality to it. It could only belong to someone who had seen too much at too young an age. You finished wiping your face and swallowed the lump that had now formed in your throat. _Shit, how do I respond?_ You thought. _Act normal I guess._

“That’s okay. You weren’t interrupting anything important.”

“I don’t know, you seem pretty upset about something.” 

The girl’s response had surprised you somewhat. It’s not like you hadn’t been crying before she walked in, but most people wouldn’t have mentioned it. Your hesitation gave her some time to walk over and sit on the bed opposite you before you could figure it out.

“I’m Mikasa.” 

“[F/N].”

“It’s okay if you don’t want to talk about it. I find it easier to keep it inside too.”

Your heart relaxed a little at her words. Mikasa seemed to understand you enough to not pressure you into talking like perhaps some of the other cadets would have. There were a few more moments of silence, but you’d eased up enough in this quiet girl’s presence to stop pretending that you were fine. Mikasa had relaxed more onto her bed and she was now lying on her back, arms tucked behind her head, staring at the ceiling. You sniffled a couple of times to stop the nose juice from running down your face. 

“It’s just…” You spoke up after a little while. “It’s just been a really bad day.”

Mikasa nodded. She said nothing but she radiated acceptance. It felt nice to be around this girl. Comforting. It seemed that maybe if circumstances were different, maybe you and her would get on. Maybe it wouldn’t be so bad to open up a little more. But… Maybe it would be the worst thing in the world. Maybe she would get herself killed too and your only friend would be wrenched away, leaving you grieving more deaths. What’s the matter with me? You felt your chest and your throat burn from keeping the tears racking your body with loud sobs. It was such an effort to force your breathing to remain steady, to keep Mikasa from finding out how much you were hurting. You screwed your eyes shut, hoping it would help. It did.

You didn’t know what time it was when you woke up. Some time after midnight at least. It was dark outside - pitch black had it not been for the gentle glow of the moon shining through the treetops. The barracks was now filled with the soft sounds of breathing as every bunk had been filled by sleeping cadets. You sat up, noticing that Mikasa had not moved from her position earlier. It was funny, you hadn’t noticed her as the girl who slept next to you until now. 

Quietly, you unfolded your legs and swung them around the side of the bed, placing your still-booted feet on the floor and standing up. A nice little walk would clear your head. Your face felt… salty. You were looking forward to the fresh air. As quietly as you could, you crept towards the door. Nobody was awake to see you leave.

The grounds were empty as expected. You’d get the occasional cadet wandering around in the blanket of the night of course, but tonight was not one of those. Though you supposed the aforementioned cadet this time was in fact yourself. The air, despite as cloying and claustrophobic as ever, felt pure to your aching throat. It was like a glass of peach iced green tea with lemonade during a heatwave. Cool and refreshing. Just like earlier, you found the tallest tree and sat down underneath with a thump. The wind played delicately with your hair and danced across your soft cheeks, taking with it the stress and the confusion of the previous day. Your face no longer felt salty.

Unbeknownst to you, you were being watched again. By chance, Levi had also decided to take a midnight stroll after a shitty couple of hours trying to sleep. It wasn’t something that came naturally to him even in normal circumstances. He usually just dozed, fully clothed I might add, in his chair, on account of him being too stricken with PTSD to ever feel comfortable or relaxed enough to plop onto an actual mattress. It also just wasn’t what he was used to. The underground was unforgiving. He had slept on the floor for most of his childhood. 

An hour or so before you had woken up, Levi had grown tired of sitting still in his chair. He had decided that he would benefit from a change of scenery, swapping the rigid military officer’s room for the comforting stillness of the very early morning. There was not a sound to be heard beyond the rustling of the wind through the treetops and the occasional hooting of an owl somewhere. Thousands of twinkling lights adorned the otherwise black night sky like little diamonds, a painting of a peaceful scene. The odd meteorite shot through the stars, but Levi’s eyes were vacant despite staring upwards. 

The poor man’s heart was heavy with shame. You, like him, were a very private person. This was obvious by the fact that you sat alone every mealtime. You trained alone, you exercised alone. It was hard to avoid people in a place like the cadet corps because there were so many tasks that required a partner, but you’d somehow managed to work alone wherever possible. As Levi had watched you, he noticed that your solitude was not a result of shyness or aggressiveness. You were kind. He could see that very clearly in the way that you had once helped someone with the straps and buckles on their uniform that were harder to reach, not a hint of annoyance or impatience as they apologised for not quite getting it themselves. He had seen you drop your 3DM gear with a loud clang to run to a younger trainee when they had fallen from a tall height, concern written all over your face like a big sister or a mother. He had seen you silently slide half of your evening meal over to a tired and hungry cadet who had missed dinner one night. You said nothing, you never asked for thanks or appreciation. You were just _good_. Fundamentally, you were just a good person. You could be friends with everyone on the base if you wanted to, but it was obvious that your isolation was a personal choice for whatever reason, and Levi secretly longed to know what he was. How much pleasure he would get from having his questions answered. But he knew this was just a pipe dream.

The captain was sitting on the limbs of the tallest tree when he saw you exit the barracks - he did not need his 3DM gear for this, just his superior strength. His position mirrored that of earlier outside the shower room: one knee folded, his wrist draped across lazily, and the other dangling off the side of the branch. Your cheeks and eyes were slightly red, your face sorrowful. For once, you were letting your emotions flow freely onto your features. A welcome sight, to be sure. You were usually so reserved. Levi felt a fresh pang of guilt. Had he caused this? He really hadn’t meant to. Your voice was so pure and sweet. He longed to hear it again. Night after sleepless night could be cured by that voice singing to him, a warm hand gently stroking the floppy strands of jet black hair covering his forehead. He sighed contentedly, frowning a little as you took your place beneath him. He felt a little creepy again, but it’s not like he knew you would come out and sit exactly where he was chilling in the tree. And all those other times he had watched you were completely justifiable on account of the fact that Commander Erwin had ordered him to watch you. Maybe not quite so intently, but truthfully Levi was fascinated by you. Even more so now.

After some time, you had fallen asleep again. It was obvious that the events of the day had exhausted you, but it wasn’t really safe to sleep outside in the dark. Levi decided that it would be in your best interest if he stayed there with you, to watch for any danger. He settled into the branch more comfortably and ran his fingers through his hair. What was this strange hold you had over him? He didn’t even know you. He had watched you a lot, sure, but he knew next to nothing about you apart from that you liked tea, you were pretty nice but you didn’t want any friends for some reason. He couldn’t figure you out at all and it frustrated him. 

The captain was lost in thought, but not so far gone that he didn’t notice you pull your arms towards your chest and tuck your knees under them in your sleep. There were little goosebumps forming on your exposed arms, the night air having gotten a little more chilly in the few hours you had been out. Levi moved without even really thinking about it, dropping silently to the ground behind you and pulling his green scouts cloak off his shoulders. It was warm from his body heat, and it smelled like him. He gently wrapped it around your frame, tucking it in behind your back to make sure you were protected from the breeze. _Tch. Stupid brat._ He thought. _Who comes outside in the middle of the night without a jacket?_

Amazingly, you didn’t even wake up. Levi jumped up onto the branch again, an impressive sight to anyone had they been watching. He was pretty short, so it was a fair jump: he grabbed the branch with both hands and hoisted himself up, his bicep muscles bulging at the exertion. There. You were warm enough, you were being watched over. Levi was quite content with that fact. He felt very protective over you for some reason. It was completely unnecessary - you were more than capable of defending yourself should the need arise. Some fine tuning of your combat and 3DMG skills and you were sorted. It was just… He didn’t know what it was. He seemed to just want to be near you. 

When the sunrise finally arrived, you were alone again. Your eyes fluttered open at the change in light levels, but it took a minute to realise that you were wearing more than you had when you left the barracks last night. You hadn’t meant to fall asleep. Just sit by the tree for a bit. You must have been more tired than you felt. 

The cloak draped over your shoulders was so cosy and warm. It smelled heavenly, like fresh pine needles and sandalwood. But who did it belong to? You were absolutely perplexed, and a little concerned. Someone was clearly watching you. Someone knew where you were and what you were doing at all times. It creeped you out for sure, until you turned the cloak around to see the Survey Corps insignia embroidered onto the back. It was so peculiar that you forgot you were unsettled. 

Before you could think about it a bit more, a loud bell rang in the distance: the breakfast bell. Well, whoever the cloak belonged to would probably be there. They would probably ask for it back. You folded the soft green material neatly and tucked it under your arm, making your way towards the mess hall for your standard flavourless gruel. Your usually focused brain was all over the place. Who had heard you in the shower? Who had given you their cloak and why? Was it the same person? Why had they left? You were staring at your boots as you walked, not noticing your surroundings as muscle memory brought your legs into the familiar corridor on the way to breakfast. 

You first realised that you had collided with someone when their boots entered your field of view. You were startled, but before you could react, a voice cut through your thoughts and entwined into your entire nervous system.

“Tch. Watch where you’re going, brat.”

The words were harsh, but the mouth they tumbled from was dripping with honey. The voice was pure caramel, reverberating through your fingertips and shooting beams of heat up your arms. You felt goosebumps prickle upon your delicate skin. You knew at once who you had bumped into, just from the authority that voice commanded alone. You stood upright and saluted, looking him in the eye.

“Captain Levi, sir. My apologies. I was not watching where I was walking.”

Your heart was racing at the sight of the captain standing right in front of you. He was even more handsome than you’d imagined: one thin eyebrow raised, arms folded across his chest. Molten steel eyes looking right into your soul. He was intense. You swallowed nervously. Apart from you and him, there was nobody around.

Without taking his eyes away from yours, Levi gestured with his head at the folded cloak you were holding underneath your arm. 

“That’s mine,” he said simply. 

You were dumbfounded. _Levi??_

“O-oh. Thank you, sir.” 

You stretched out your arms to hand the cloak to its owner, not really sure of what else to say. He took it from you without saying a word. Eyes never leaving yours. Searching for… something. You weren’t sure what to do next. 

The man was absurdly attractive. Enough so that it made you nervous. You probably would have been nervous even if he were as unfortunate looking as some of the titans out there, but the fact that his face was so symmetrical, his body so toned… You tried not to look at the abs so obvious beneath his clothes, but your eyes began to wander of their own accord. He was _breathtaking_. So strong and fierce, so intense. He almost looked bored. When you lifted your eyes back up to his, you noticed he had watched you the whole time. You were a little embarrassed, but completely addicted. He radiated so much big dick energy that you almost considered asking him to get it out then and there so you could see if it was really the size you thought it would be. 

Levi watched you quickly ogle him as he took back his cloak. He noticed the flush of your cheeks and the rise of your chest as your heart sped up and your breathing quickened slightly. He saw your pupils dilate when your beautiful, cat-like eyes finally returned to his own. He had missed them when you looked away. There was something lovely about locking his gaze with yours, like you were sharing something. He wondered if you found him as attractive as he found you - going by your body’s response, it might not be a bad guess to say yes. He had to concentrate hard on not letting the blood travel to his groin at the taste of the sexual tension in the air. He needed to do something before you walked away.

“[F/N].”

You jumped a little at the sound. His voice was just so powerful.

“Hmm, y-yes, Captain?” 

His voice was deep and alluring. It was almost too easy for your imagination to run away with itself, to imagine a scenario where the beautiful man before you would move forwards and pin you against the wall, teeth scraping across your neck, hands exploring your body beneath your shirt.

“Wear a jacket next time.”

You frowned. This was definitely not what you had been expecting this man to say. But before you could answer, he had walked away. You watched in admiration the way his body moved. He was small, but he commanded a power that was completely foreign to you... He looked like he could crush you with just his fingertips and he knew it. There was something deeply alluring about a man who made the tides change with every step he took. His biceps flexed inside his shirt as he reached for the door to the corridor. His eyes held all his secrets. You had to talk to him again, but what about? What could you possibly possess yourself to interest a man like that? If he were an unrelenting tempest, you would be a gentle breeze. You knew in an instant that you wanted that kind of force next to you in the battles to come.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Not sure how I feel about how this is turning out tbh. It's taking a little while because firstly like I said I work full time now and secondly it's been hard to find motivation for this story. It usually comes on Friday nights lmao.
> 
> This is really turning out to be a completely different kind of story it seems. I'm adding bits in, taking bits out... I've completely vetoed any detail about Reader-chan's ex. It's been like 2 years since I left him so I'm not really upset about it anymore and it's kind of hard to get into that feeling again. I hope that's okay? Let me know if you'd prefer it go back to how it was. It's just that originally Reader-chan is TOO perfect and too strong and too edgy. I wanted to make her more real but I think I just made her depressed as fuck lmfao I'm sorry
> 
> Anyway the song is Meteorites, link below:
> 
> https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=rQkQqOXiwqA


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